The Glow
by Ducki3s Day
Summary: "It's okay to be sad but not all the time". Sakura continued to pat his face until tears went down his cheeks silently." Mommy says crying helps. You don't cry a lot, do you?" Fluffly. Pre-massacre.


**Author: Off of my playlist for Itachi and Sakura, I feel like I should write short stories/ drabbles portraying the song about them. **

**A/N: Itachi might be a little or really OOC because I have never wrote anything about him and his feelings towards stuff so…please be kind to me. **

**-.-**

_The boy done wrong again  
Hang your head in shame and cry your life away  
the boy done wrong again  
Hang your head in shame and cry your life away  
Are you okay now?  
Are you okay now?_

_-.-_

He was neither shocked nor grateful to have one afternoon off from his every-day schedule. He did not feel the boulders on his shoulders fade away like mist or the voices of dejection leave his head when the elders gave him such a great "opportunity" to be delayed from his duties as an ANBU. His expression did not move an inch after he had left the elders and went straight here.

As an average villager, you wouldn't know what Itachi Uchiha was thinking. His features were usually blank and was caked with a large amount of stoicism that it seemed impossible to even think that he would show a grave face whenever he was alone. However, that was untrue.

Itachi Uchiha couldn't even show emotions in his own home. Every feeling that stirred inside him he could easily control and mesmerized just like a handbook. If you are happy, why show it? If you were angry, why let people see? If you were sad, would the world stop turning? Itachi Uchiha didn't loath nor be attached to the things that identified people.

As an average villager, you would know that Itachi can't feel. You look into his eyes and he immediately blocks out any judgment or reaction towards a human being and gives you a response that he didn't think twice about. But an average village wouldn't care to notice or ask the meaning behind his answers.

Itachi Uchiha didn't have a deep meaning in his words. He didn't wear a dramatic reaction nor had a mental state that a normal human being should around his age.

_When an eleven year old boy is touched, he turns around and gasps not observe sharply at the owner._

_When an eleven year old boy is asked to go outside and play he should play not stay at home and finish reading the scrolls for cursed seal techniques._

_When an eleven year old boy sees his mother and father, he is a supposed to hug them not be greeted with silence from his father and pity from his mother._

_An eleven year old boy shouldn't be in the ANBU force squad._

_An eleven year old isn't supposed to be training from morning to night practicing forbidden techniques such as the __Izanagi. _

_An eleven year old boy shouldn't have to tell his brother he can't play because he has ninja business to attend to._

_An eleven year old should not feel like the weight of his clan on his shoulders._

_An eleven year old boy should not be this mature._

_He is not_-

Push_._

Itachi's jaws tighten until it retreated to his familiar emotionless facade. He did not breathe in and out nor did he say an exotic and jumble of words to go back to the state he was in before he was thinking. Slowly, he searched through the corners of his mind and pushed all his thoughts that emerged seconds ago into The Box. It was his own private box and of course, no one knew that this was one of his methods to remain stable and living without the regret of becoming something more appropriate

The Box locked all the pieces that rose from the bottom of his heart and ignite in him until Itachi could without any ability capture it and push it into the box. All things good, bad, and just plain unnatural or natural was kept in that box. They could have been memories to Itachi for all he cared.

He was supposed to be a well-mannered Uchiha prodigy in the walking, not an immature eleven year old boy with foolish goals. But oh how he seemed intimidated by boys (though not stronger, brighter, and skilled as he could be) who laughed and smiled with dirt on their pants and playing together with parents who gave them affection in the open along with doing _whatever_ the fuck they _desired to do_.

Itachi's eyes loomed towards the sky and into the beaming sun, its rays burning but giving an odd sense of pleasure towards his skin. He then remembered the time when he was five and he had stared into the sun causing his father to wretch his arm and glare at him.

They weren't angry but very cautious and unloving. _Don't stare off into the sun Itachi; you will ruin your eyes! If I catch you staring off into that sun, I will punish you! _

He was too young to understand why his father was so dramatic about him looking off into the bright ball that covered the village with light but then he figured it out as his training started.

He mastered the sharingan at the age of 7.

Itachi's gaze at the sun was burning his eye sockets but he didn't care. How could he? Why should he? If his eyes were ruined, the clan would have no use of him. The clan elders wouldn't know what to do if their precious Uchiha prodigy's eyesight was ruined and all their hard work had gone down the drain.

He smirked and if he wasn't looking towards the sun, you would see the amusement and malice in his dark and tainted orbs. Maybe they would leave him alone then and go find someone else to train then control and strip him or her off their innocence and teach them to be powerful. Gains more than expected and to gain so much strength and power that the elders expect that person to handle. Feed him more books and jutsus and verbal abuse and more of the sort.

More More More More.

_Give me so much more than I ask for. _ The sun was starting to affect him greatly and now his eyes didn't burn but they couldn't close themselves nor look away. He was giving them what they deserved and would regret not giving him his own choices.

_Smack!_

On instinct, he grabbed the hand that had smacked his cheek and clutched it in his grasp tightly, every strength in his body about to rip it from the wrist until he looked down and met with wide stem-green eyes that stared at him with curiosity and...worry? Itachi's brows furrowed at the small child who did not break eye contact nor move her wrist away from his grasp.

_You shouldn't look into the sun._

Her voice came out in a child-like tone but the add of her authority in it made him want to arch his eyebrow. This little girl with large green eyes on her heart-shaped baby face with a deep concerning scowl had told him what he shouldn't do in her small voice.

_My mom told me people shouldn't look at the sun. They will ruin their eyes._

Itachi titled his head to the side a bit and stared blankly at her. He hadn't realized he was still holding her tiny hand in his large one as he examined her face more carefully.

As an average villager, you would know that Sakura Haruno was the only child in the leaf village with pink hair. Her bubblegum locks refined her name along with soulful eyes that you would know were filled with compassion and consideration for what others felt. She was a five-year old civilian girl but you would know just by looking at her that she cared about people more than anything in the world.

_My eyes are already ruined. _

By now, Itachi had let go of Sakura's hand and moved it to his side. However, her hand was still on his cheek and her warmth was starting radiate off of her and onto him. The heat on his cheek reminded him of the sun that cooked his skin pleasantly. He continued to stare blankly at Sakura who did not squirm but her eyes again filled with child-like wonder.

_Can you not see? _She asked him and moved closer to his face and making his shoulders rigid from such close proximity. Who was this girl and why was she so close? Her eye contact was making him more...uncomfortable? No, he was not feeling anything but the stiffness in his shoulders advanced when she stood up and placed both hands on his face.

Itachi was sure her height was under four feet. Standing up she was the same height when he was sitting down and her body was undeveloped and still going through baby stages. Her chubby (**soft**) palms pulled him closer to her that he could feel her hot (**sweet**) breath on his chin. Itachi wanted to move away immediately from this child but he couldn't.

_Your eyes are like black rocks. _Sakura's emerald orbs were searching into his making Itachi's toes curl. _They are very cold and hard. _

What kind of child would say that? Itachi pushed the girl gently away from him and tried with all his might not to sneer at her. She was just a little girl but how could she even describe with such sureness? His face didn't falter from the same stoic mask he had been wearing since he was five and eyed the girl again who played with the grains in the field.

Sakura wasn't sure of herself right now. She had been dropped off by her mom to play in the fields until she came back from work. Sakura was used to being dropped off here on occasion and had grown to be comfortable with the wide open grain field. It was tall and adventurous! She had a lot of fun exploring different kind of bugs like caterpillars and her favorite, lady bugs. Sakura felt like it was her second home and she enjoyed it. But when she had seen this strange long haired boy looking at the sun, she felt even more excited to play in the fields.

Today, she had brought a small jar so she could capture some ladybugs and take them home. Sakura smiled at the thought of having some pets that she would feed and take care of like her mom took care of her. She looked at the boy again and noticed that he stared a lot. She didn't mind though, she wasn't paid much attention to unless people were talking about her. Sometimes she felt offended at their remarks about her hair or how her mother was a single parent but she didn't care because she had people who did care about her. About what she felt.

When Sakura seen Itachi, she was going to ask him to play with her and pick some lady bugs. She wanted to make a new friend and she thought this boy would be perfect. He hadn't notice her running to him with her short toddler legs and even when she was standing next to him. She was about to speak until she noticed his eyes were staring into the sun and he seemed to be enjoying it. It was unusual to her how he could stare at it for such a long period of time. Was he like a superhero or something?

Despite the fact that he seemed comfortable, his eyes told a different story. His expression was hard and stone like but his obsidian-like orbs held a mixture of emotions that reminded Sakura of her mom when she looked at a picture of her daddy. It was similar to an empty bottle or a broken home. There was nothing in his eyes and it was sad. Sakura thought that it was the sun making him this way and she did something that would always snap her mother out of thought.

She slapped him.

Sakura was a bit surprised when he had grabbed her wrist incredibly fast and then looked at her with a mean stare. His eyes again reminded her of a broken home and an empty bottle and she wanted him to not be that way. So she told him not look at the sun but when he said that his eyes were already ruined, she took his face in her hands without a thought and cupped them to analyze more. She didn't understand why he said that they were already ruined and wanted to tell him that lying was bad until she searched into them further.

His eyes were really cold and looked like they were in another world. Sakura didn't recognize it at first but remembered when her mom had one of those moments. She pouted at his eyes and wanted to shut them so when they opened, they would be lighter and more enjoyable just like she did with her mom. But Sakura had a feeling that it would take a lot to make his eyes do that. They were so hard, old, dark and cold that it moved Sakura closer to them. They were like black rocks. Once Sakura had said that to him he pushed her onto the grass field and stared at her more. Again, this boy stared at her a lot but she still didn't mind as she played with her glass jar.

_Why are you here?_

Sakura didn't notice how mature and deep Itachi's voice was. She was too distracted from his eyes to even realize that his voice resembled to a grown-up. She looked up and gave him a big smile before answering.

_My mom dropped me off. I like to play here, it's my favorite spot!_

Itachi nodded a little before moving his gaze towards the left side of the field.

_Why are you here?_

_I'm on a break from my duties._

Sakura cocked her head to the side, obviously confused as Itachi continued.

_I'm in ANBU._

If Itachi was taken back when Sakura's mouth was so wide from joy, he didn't show it. He had faced her again when he heard a gasp and was met with her huge bright grin. He had never seen anyone smile that big except Shisui.

_So you're like a...ninja!_

Itachi nodded and carefully watched Sakura who seemed to be going through a dramatic moment. Her big eyes now showed great admiration and interest towards him as she moved closer against his body like before.

_Tell me! Is it cool to be a ninja? That you can run through trees and kick people into a thousand miles per minute seems cool!_

He had now conjured up that this girl was...strange. Not even his little brother, Sasuke who wanted to be a ninja as well wasn't this pumped up from such a topic. What could he tell her? That Itachi Uchiha, the great Uchiha prodigy and most powerful child in Konoha, hated his life as a ninja. Or Itachi Uchiha was sick of the elders, of his non-affectionate clan, and the constant rejection when trying to do his best so everyone would be proud of him returned with a uncontrollable slap that the emotions ran out of his body and everything turned out wrong.

_**Everything turned out wrong and unplanned.**_

His eyes were very cold and sad again. Sakura watched him and he seemed to be in his own little mind once more. What did she say to make him like this again? Sakura wondered if his attitude and expression was always like this. Like he had some type of mask like those ANBU guys wear. Did he?

Itachi heard her getting up. His eyes shifted over to her standing and his posture was rigid like before when she stepped even closer to him. He watched her hands aiming towards his face and he tried to decide what to do. Should he push her away again or let her continue with what she was going to do? This girl was strange and she could ha-

Sakura's hands touched his smooth lips, her palms bigger than his pink mouth and she moved her chubby fingers toward the corners of his mouth and turned them upwards. A triumphant smile plastered her face to show how proud the change of his expression was. Now he was smiling!

_You look better when you smile, nin-san! _

Itachi didn't know what to do now. His heart was running inside his veins and making his toes curl once more as her little hands kept making his lips downward and upward.

_When you frown you look like you have desp-pari-son? _Sakura couldn't remember that word the doctor said about her mother in the past but she was sure he knew what she meant. _You look very sad when you frown! _

_You should smile! My mom told me to always smile because it makes her happy._

Itachi just watched her as she removed her hands from his face and placed it on hers then turned the corners of her lips upward.

_So, if you smile, I will be happy! _

She could have the ability to outshine him. He had seen a glimpse in her future as her bright (**beautiful**) smile made him want to lower his head down in shame and train. Train to the best of his abilities until he was sure she could never get past him. However, her smile had said everything.

This girl would have great compassion for others as they will for her.

This girl will fight to the end to protect her loved ones.

This girl will help so many others as she walked the path of life.

This girl would melt so many cold hearts.

Sakura lowered her head and pouted at the Uchiha prodigy. He still didn't smile when she told him! Sakura was still determined though to help this black long haired, onyx dark eyed and pale boy to smile. This was her goal today and then they would soon catch ladybugs together. Sakura reached her hands out towards his face and was close to his lips until he abruptly grabbed them again and pulled her to his body. Sakura let out a little yelp when she had fallen into Itachi's bubble, her head laying against his shoulder as he still held onto her hands. It wasn't like before, his grip was firm but it was loosened like he was holding a china doll.

She moved back to meet his eyes and was smiling wildly when she seen one of the corners of his lip turn up. At least he had one of them turned up! Now she just had to get him to smile fully but like her mother said, these things take time. She suspected that the older boy had not done this for some time now but Sakura would help him do it more.

Itachi's body went from stiff to relaxed when her warm presence collided with him. Her breathe heated his cold neck as he held her small body in place. He didn't know what he was doing now even though he was fully aware of it. Her eyes were so filled with emotion and a glow that he held onto her as if she were the sun. He had unknowingly yearned for such warmth to take over him and engulf him into the light but the darkness of the clan consumed him. The weight of all their dreams and wishes along with demands were building up an unbearable ball of pressure mixed with anger inside him that he felt that the box wouldn't be able to put them in.

Tip.

Sakura's eyes widen as she noticed his orbs were starting to become dark and glassy. Her fingers brushed his face again, making Itachi's lung harder to breathe and patted his cheeks. It felt like soft feathers to him.

_It's okay to be sad but not all the time. _Sakura continued to pat his face until tears went down his cheeks silently. _Mommy says crying helps. You don't cry a lot, do you?_

Itachi didn't have to answer her as his shoulders shook while more tears came down. The overwhelming memories of abuse of his clan came crashing down on him all too quickly and soon he was sobbing.

As an average villager, you would know that Itachi Uchiha DID NOT cry. Couldn't cry, never will. This sight, a stone-like prodigy crying and holding a pink-haired little girl would make anyone have a heart attack or stop and stare while horrified by the situation. Sakura obviously didn't understand Itachi's position or who he even was but in her eyes he was just a older boy who seemed to be hurting a lot like her mom.

Her hands slipped from his and wrapped themselves around Itachi's neck, trying to give him a sign of comfort as she laid her head against his shoulder like before. His body tensed from her contact again but he found his hands placing themselves on her back, pulling her closer then weep more.

Sakura's fingers played with his long silky hair and the other hand rubbed his back until he wasn't shaking anymore. She had learned this when her mother found Sakura on the floor crying after she had broken her ankle. She cried and cried until her mother showed affection and held her then went to the hospital. She wanted to show the same love and care her mother showed her and help people be happy again. Sakura hadn't gotten to use it until now.

Sakura pulled back, much to Itachi's dismay and used the hems of her sleeves to wipe off the wetness from his cheeks. She smiled at him before making his lips turn upwards again.

_You should be happy now! No? When I cry, I feel better after. _

Itachi's eyes loomed over Sakura's. He couldn't describe what he was feeling now but all the negative emotions inside him scattered away as her gentle orbs of green looked at him. He did not reply nor did his grief stricken face move. Itachi did not know what he was going to do now or what he should do. The choice of going back to his everyday schedule made him want to flinch visibly. This girl's presence had made a large impact on him that his desire to refuse it lessened as she played with his long locks.

Sakura let Itachi be in his own world for a while again. She liked playing with his hair because it was softer than hers and long, making it curl around her fingers until it hid it. Suddenly, she remembered what she was supposed to do today.

Sakura moved back from Itachi's embrace and started to move her feet towards her jar until Itachi grabbed her hand again. She wasn't shocked like Itachi was when she glanced towards his hand in hers. His long fingers intertwined in her little ones and locked. Onyx eyes searched into emerald and Sakura mesmerized the spark of panic in them.

_Nin-san, let me get my jar! _She tried to reassure him with her honest smile_._

He slowly released her hand, his mind becoming more confused while she grabbed her jar and went back to him. Why did he grab her? It wasn't like she had to stay with him or that he wanted her to. He just...acted on impulse and sense her presence made his mind clear, she would have to.

_**She had to.**_

_Nin-san, let's go catch ladybugs! _Sakura shook the jar in front of his face and grinned. She started to run as fast as her small legs could handle and set out to find lady bugs. Itachi watched after her then looked up at the sun. However, there was something different in his eyes. They were light and were filled with satisfaction while he heard Sakura's innocent and pure laughter.

This child will melt many cold hearts.

-.-

_All I wanted was to sing the saddest songs  
If somebody sings along I will be happy now-_

_The Boy Done Wrong Again by Belle and Sebastian_

_-.-_

**Author: Well, this was kind of fun to write. Please tell me if making Itachi cry was a little too much, thank you for reading!**


End file.
